Fritz

by Debbie Preston
(Reidsville North Carolina)

I was living in San Diego California. I had no family there and didn't really know very many people. I was in training for my job and knew I would not be living there very long. I ended up staying 2 years.

The last year I was there I was very lonely. I saw an add for a miniature schnauzer for sale. I called and made an appointment to see him. It was instant love. He was my companion. We'd play peek a boo through my fence. I could go to the dumpster to take out the trash and when I returned 5 minutes later, he treated me like a rock star. He would do tricks and give you big hugs and kisses.

I moved back to my home state of North Carolina. I flew Fritz back with me. He adjusted to the weather change fairly quickly. I thought his inability to jump and run was just a fluke. I had no idea it was a warning of things to come. Bad things.

He began to lay around more. Drink lots of water. Needed to go outside for more frequent potty breaks. I mentioned this to my vet at the time. He informed me that it was probably due to my feeding him dry food. Causing him to drink more water. I didn't question him. I wish now I had.

Time went on and Fritz stopped playing. He would see me and wag his little nub. But he was so weak. I called my usual vet and he was out of town. I called another and took Fritz to see them. They did some lab tests and informed me that he had kidney failure. We tried everything to get his kidneys to work. 3 days in intensive care with medications and fluids did not have any affect. I made the painful decision to say goodbye to my longtime faithful companion. My fur-kid.

I was with Fritz when his soul left his little body. It was painful for me to watch but he had been through so much with me that I knew I owed him that final tribute of affection. He was only 2 years old.

Some people say dogs have no soul. I disagree. When I look into the eyes of my faithful companion, I definitely see a soul. God made dogs and named them after his name. God=dog.